Love In LA
by Suki59
Summary: My human Sookie/Eric love story continues. They're starting their new lives together in L.A. where things are never dull.This is number 2 in my human series after Love Isn't Easy. AH,AU,OOC. More Love in L.A. follows.
1. Chapter 1

These are all Charlaine Harris' characters.

A/N: Please enjoy Love Isn't Easy before starting this story.

Sookie

After that first night that Eric and I were together, I was happier than I have ever been in my life. I was starting my new job in a new city soon, and I had a new love. Actually, I had loved him for a long time in my heart, but we were finally able to express it to each other, and it was heaven. Unfortunately, time was not our friend. Amelia and I had planned on leaving for L.A. in several days. We needed the time to drive across the country and find a place to live. I had a deadline because my job would be starting soon. Eric had planned to go home and spend some time with his aunt. Then he needed to figure out when he would be coming to L.A. There were just a lot of little details to be worked out and not a lot of time for us to really enjoy our new relationship. But the most important thing was that we were together in our hearts even if it would be awhile before we could be together physically.

Eric

After years of wanting Sookie, agonizing over Sookie, being pissed about not having Sookie, being with her was finally as easy as just answering my door. Who would have thought? That first time we couldn't get enough of each other but I was trying to be a nice guy and slow things down, not realizing that she had already broken up with her boyfriend. But once I realized that she was no longer with him (and it made my heart swell when she said she hadn't been with him since our kiss), holding back wasn't an option. I had fantasized about this girl for four long years and yet those fantasies couldn't come close to how great it was in reality. I felt like I had finally found my way home. And she said she loved me.

Finally things were all coming together for me. I was going to the school where I wanted to be. I got my scholarship. And Sookie was going to be living there. I couldn't have planned that any better. Unfortunately, I needed to take care of a few things before I could make the cross-country drive. Sookie and Amelia had already made plans to drive out and Sookie needed to start her job. I had already committed to spending time with my aunt and needed to make some money. My scholarship money wouldn't be available until classes started in the fall and I didn't have enough left at the end of the year to get a place in L.A. I knew that L.A. was an expensive place to live.

So for the few short days we had in Shreveport, Sookie and I were together all the time. When we weren't making love, we were packing her things and selling her furniture and getting her ready to go. That final morning Amelia drove up and waited while we said our goodbyes in my parking lot. Sookie cried a little and we both couldn't seem to hold each other close enough. I told her how much I loved her and that I would talk to her later and that we were going to be fine, but inside I was already missing her. I wished that we'd had more time together before being separated like that.

Sookie

I cried when I said goodbye to Eric the morning I left. I know it sounds crazy because we had only made love for the first time a few days before, but in my heart I felt like I had loved him for so much longer. He felt like my boyfriend the minute he opened that door to me. And then I was going to have to leave him and start my new life without him. It was tough.

Amelia and I trekked across the country following each other in our loaded down cars sharing cheap roadside motels at night. Eric and I talked on the phone every day, several times a day and it felt a little less ominous to be apart. But I missed him already.

We stayed at a friend of Amelia's father's for the first week in L.A. and spent every day looking at apartments. I was shocked at the prices, but then we finally found a small decent two bedroom apartment in West Hollywood that was fairly close to where I'd be working in Beverly Hills. I spent the last of my savings on a new bed and then bought a few other things—a lamp, dresser, table and chairs at some local thrift shops. Amelia sprung for a new sofa and living room chair as well as her own bedroom furniture. She found a job almost immediately at a restaurant just down the street.

I started my new job and was pretty nervous about it, but soon I realized that since I was the new girl, my duties were mostly copying and filing and doing simple office tasks and just learning the business, and I realized that I could do those types of things in my sleep. My boss was a very cute guy named Alcide Herveaux. His father owned the firm and Alcide was a vice president in spite of his youth. He was really nice to me and very patient. He asked immediately whether or not I was single. I told him I had a boyfriend, and then he asked if we lived together. When I said no, he said, "That's good. When things get busy, your schedule can be a challenge, so it's good to be single." I hoped that's all he meant and that he wasn't interested in me. That could get awkward.

Eric

Shortly after Sookie left for L.A., I went home and found a bartender job for the summer. I stayed at my aunt's and made some decent cash and hoped that it would get me to L.A. as soon as possible. Sookie was working days and I was keeping vampire hours, so it was tough trying to talk to her on the phone. Thank god for email. I had never had a long-distance relationship before. Hell, I hadn't had a girlfriend since Pam in high school. It was tough. I don't mean that it was tough being faithful. That was easy. It was tough being apart, that's all. And being in different time zones and having jobs with different hours. It was just a challenge.

Sookie had told me about her new boss and mentioned that he was in his late twenties. I asked if he was single and he was. I knew he'd be trouble. Sookie has no idea how beautiful she is and I didn't really realize it at the time, but she is also incredibly naïve and easily taken advantage of. Our first fight was about this guy and her inability to see that he was interested in her. It was so frustrating being in another state and not there to be with her. I had never had feelings like that for anyone before really. I discovered that I was very jealous and possessive, and realized that it was something I'd have to work on. Men were going to hit on Sookie. I was going to have to learn how to handle it.

Pam was already all set up and she had seen Sookie a few times. She was living at the beach (her folks had money and helped her out a lot), and had gotten a job as a script reader for a producer at Paramount. I felt a little better that at least she was there sort of in my place if Sookie needed anything. I know that sounds silly, but I felt bad that Sookie was having to start her new life without me there.

That seemed like the slowest summer I'd ever had. It finally came time to leave, so I packed my car up and headed west to my new life with Sookie.


	2. Chapter 2

Sookie

That first summer in L.A. was interesting. My new job was pretty easy. I was still learning and had very few real responsibilities. Amelia was working a lot at a little restaurant and bar called Merlotte's. She also found an agent and started going out on auditions. Pam had a very cute apartment in Venice and I loved going there on the weekends. We could walk to the beach from her place. She was working for a producer at Paramount Studios named Felipe DeCastro and got to meet all kinds of interesting people there. She was always invited to the coolest parties and often took me and Amelia with her. She said that there was always room at a party for beautiful girls, so we happily tagged along.

My boss, Alcide, was really nice but had asked me out several times. I reminded him that I had a boyfriend but he seemed to have trouble remembering that. Once he asked me for a drink after work on a Friday. I started to mention the boyfriend again, but then he said, "Oh, it's not a date. I just wanted to talk about work. It's hard to find time in the day, and it's time you got a little more responsibility around here." So I went with him. We had a couple of drinks at a very hip and trendy place near the office, but every time I brought up work, he'd say, "Let's just relax and unwind a little. We can always talk about work later." After a couple of hours, he suggested we go get some dinner. I really didn't feel like I could say no, so we ended up at another restaurant around the corner and had the most amazing Italian food I'd ever tasted. I almost choked when I saw the prices, but he insisted on paying and said it was a business expense, so I let him. It was getting late and it was becoming evident that our work conversation just wasn't going to happen, so I told him I needed to get home. He walked me to my car and I thanked him for dinner. He took my hand and kissed me on the cheek, which made me a little uncomfortable. Then he kind of put his hand on my face and turned it to him and planted one right on the lips. I tried to pull my head back, but he was really forceful and stuck his tongue into my mouth. Then I tried to say something, which was kind of hard with his tongue in there. Finally, he stopped and I said, "I've got to go. Goodnight."

He stood and watched me drive away and I couldn't wait to get around the corner so I could wipe my mouth off. I just kept thinking, oh crap! Did I just kiss my boss? How did that happen? Granted, he was very cute and under other circumstances, I might have liked it, but I was with Eric now. I had a boyfriend that I was crazy about. I felt so guilty even though I certainly had never intended for that to happen, and I had not reciprocated when he kissed me.

I didn't call Eric when I got home because I knew he was still working and wouldn't be home for hours. He called the following morning though and asked about my night.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about last night. Alcide asked me to have a drink with him and said he needed to talk about work with me." Silence. "Then we ended up eating dinner as well, but he never seemed to want to talk about work. It was really awkward. He knows I have a boyfriend, so I know he didn't think it was a date, but…well…it just felt weird. I wanted to call you when I got home last night, but you were still at work, and I was too tired to stay up until you were done."

"Tell me this asshole didn't kiss you or anything."

"Well, actually he did."

"Fuck Sookie. You kissed him? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, no. I didn't. He kissed me, but I definitely did not kiss him back. He knows I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, you already said that. Like when you had a boyfriend and kissed me behind the convenience store. Oh, and then when you had another boyfriend and kissed me on my sofa. Kinda like that?"

I started crying. "I'm sorry, Eric. No, it wasn't anything like that. I'll talk to him on Monday and set things straight. It was just a mistake."

"So if I accidentally made a mistake here and kissed the women in the bar that are interested in me, then that's okay too? As long as they know I have a girlfriend? Fuck, Sookie."

"No, no, Eric. Please. This was just a misunderstanding. I'll take care of it. It won't happen again."

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough on what I want with us, Sookie. Didn't we decide that we don't want to see other people? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No!"

"Do I need to make myself clearer? I don't want you kissing or fucking anybody else. Is that clear enough?" I just kept crying. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Don't cry. This is just so fucking frustrating, being apart like this. Please stop crying, honey. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I feel like an idiot. I told him I have a boyfriend."

"I know. But when a guy asks you for drinks or dinner, he wants to fuck you. I can't believe I'm having to say this to a grown woman. Are you really that naïve?"

"I guess I'm really that stupid."

"You're definitely not stupid. But Sookie, honey, you need to be careful. Keep your eyes open. L.A.'s a big city and you're so young. Now I'm going to worry about you even more, goddammit."

On Monday morning I went into Alcide's office and said, "About Friday night…that can't happen again. Okay?"

"Sure, Sookie. Not a problem." And that seemed to be the end of it.

Finally the summer was coming to a close which meant that Eric was on his way. It had been so hard for us to be apart. We had only been together a few days before I left. And then we had to be satisfied with phone calls and email. It was frustrating. But then finally I was counting the days. Eric was coming.


	3. Chapter 3

Eric

I called Sookie when I got off the freeway to give her a heads up. Fortunately, Amelia was already at work, so we would have some privacy. It was a Saturday so Sookie wasn't at work. She opened the door and just squealed and leapt into my arms. We were already kissing when I stepped through the doorway and closed it behind me. She was wearing a short silk robe that came open easily to reveal a black silk teddy kind of thing. We didn't even make it past the living room. I knelt down and laid her onto the floor, pulling those little teddy straps down and helping myself to a mouthful of the most beautiful breasts on the planet. Her hands were frantically unbuttoning and unzipping my pants and when she got her hands around me, we both cried out in relief. I told her that if she didn't stop that I was going to come. It had been a very frustrating couple of months and I was ready to explode. She let go and started giggling and wriggled out from under me and I watched her run back into a bedroom, that gorgeous ass bouncing in the black silk. I still had the robe underneath me. I jumped up and ran after her and caught up to her on her bed (at least I assumed it was hers). She was lying across it on her stomach, reaching for her nightstand drawer, pulling out a box (unopened, thank god) of condoms. I landed on her back and we were both laughing while I started to hump her beautiful ass and kiss her neck and shoulders. Her hands were busy opening a condom and then she said, "Got it!" and rolled onto her back. The laughter stopped and we both got serious as we looked into each other's eyes, panting heavily. I sat up and pulled off my shirt and then stood to take off my shoes and pants and boxers. Sookie scooted to the edge of the bed and put the condom on me. I watched the concentration on her face and then watched her beautiful hands as she rolled it down perfectly. She reached between her legs and unsnapped the teddy and lifted the silk up to her waist, revealing herself to me while she lay back onto the bed. I started to go down on her and she grabbed my head and said, "I can't wait baby. I need you now." That was all the invitation I needed and so I positioned myself and pushed in. We both cried out and I watched the tears roll down the sides of her face and disappear into her hair. It was loud and it was messy and it was intense and pretty brief. Like I said, it had been a tough summer and I knew I wouldn't last very long. So then I scooted down and gave her a nice leisurely orgasm with my tongue. She seemed very appreciative.

We spent most of the afternoon just holding each other and talking about how much we had missed each other while we were apart. Later, we took a shower together and both of us came while our busy hands explored each other. I loved the echoes of her little moans and afterwards I held her in the warm water whispering over and over how much I loved her and had missed her. We were planning on eating out, but that never happened. She ended up making some pasta for us and we ate it in bed naked. I finally got my clothes back on and had unloaded my suitcase from the car by the time Amelia had gotten home from work. We all sat in the living room and had a friendly chat before turning in. I hardly slept all night. I just kept watching Sookie sleeping and thanking my lucky stars that she was mine.

Sookie

For the first week that Eric was in L.A., he stayed at my apartment. We had a whole weekend together. (Amelia was sweet and spent the day out of the house on Sunday so we could be alone.) Then I had to go to work on Monday of course. Eric insisted on driving me to work and then at the end of the day he came in and made a point to introduce himself to Alcide. I pictured him lifting his leg and peeing on the leg of my desk to mark me as his and I started laughing. They both turned and looked at me and I stopped.

While I was working, Eric was apartment hunting. He found a place near the USC campus that was very similar to Bill's house, but the guy on the lease was named Maxwell Lee. It was an old two-story place with four bedrooms—very beautiful really but the neighborhood was scary. He made me promise never to come there and walk from my car alone, but to call him so he could come and get me to walk me to the house. By the end of the week, he was all moved in. But then he had almost another week before classes, so he stayed at my apartment until registration.

One night we were lying in bed together and I asked him for a favor.

"What is it love?"

"This is hard to talk about."

"Okay." He sat up and gave me his full attention.

"I'm sure you've noticed that I've never gone down on you."

"Yeah, I noticed." He was smiling a little. "That's okay. I don't want you to do anything that you're not comfortable with."

"Well, actually, I think I am comfortable with it. I mean, I would love to do it….God, this is hard to say."

"What is it?"

"I can't help but think about the number of girls you've been with. I mean, not that I actually know the number. And I don't want to, believe me. But I just don't feel comfortable doing anything…you know, unsafe. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Really, you have a valid point. I'm not proud of my past behavior, believe me. And I want you to feel secure. As soon as school starts and I have my insurance, I'll go and get every kind of test there is, okay? Will that help?"

"Yes. This is so hard. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I don't mind wearing a condom, but I don't want you to feel the need to resist any impulse you have just because you're worried about my stupid past behavior. That shouldn't even be a thought in your head, my love."

"As soon as my insurance kicked in, I saw a doctor and checked out okay for everything. I mean I've only been with three guys, including you, and I was always careful, but still…I also went on birth control pills just to be safe. So once you're good to go, we can skip the condoms altogether. But not until then. Is that okay?"

"Are you kidding? That's more than okay. Are you sure you want to take the pill? You don't have to. Really, I don't mind wearing a condom. Well, I mean I do, but I'll do it, of course."

"Well, I'd prefer that we didn't, but only after you've been checked."

"Okay sweetie. I'll take care of it right away, okay?"

"Thanks honey."

Once school started, we settled into a fairly regular routine. Eric stayed at my apartment mostly on the weekends. Sometimes I'd go to his house, but it was always full of people, much like Bill's house had been, and we had more privacy at my place, especially if Amelia was working. Eric loved his classes. My work was finally getting a little more interesting. Alcide assigned me to help one of our actor clients to promote his new film. I was looking forward to the challenge, but didn't realize that it might mean trouble for me and Eric.


	4. Chapter 4

Sookie

Victor Madden was a huge movie star. He was handsome and charming and talented and a big pain in the butt. He was promoting his new film and it was my job to be his babysitter. Alcide had his schedule set up and was with us most of the time, but when he wasn't, it was up to me to make certain that the limo was on time and that Victor had the right wardrobe and was given the names of the interviewers and that he was sober. I knew it would be a challenge the day I met him. Alcide and I drove to his house in Malibu and when Alcide introduced me, Victor said "nice tits," with the same charm as he'd say, "nice weather." He was a piece of work.

Alcide had given me the pep talk beforehand. Unlike most business situations where people were protected from things like sexual harassment, my job was subject to the whims and bad manners of spoiled movie stars. I assured Alcide that I was up to the task (and thought silently that he himself had crossed a line once with me as well). My schedule became erratic due to the television and radio interviews and odd hours and long drives to Malibu. I wasn't able to see Eric as much and we were both frustrated about that. Victor was really nice and funny most of the time, but he definitely crossed lines. I had to remove his hand from my leg or hand or butt more times than I'd care to count. He'd just make a joke out of it and we'd move on.

I had been busy for several weekends in a row with Victor and finally I was free on a Saturday night and Eric and I made plans to go out to dinner. I got all dressed up and we ate at a cute little bistro near my apartment. Then we walked home together. Amelia was out rehearsing a play that she was going to be in and I knew she'd be home late. I put on some music, lowered the lights and settled onto the sofa for a little romance with my boyfriend. Things were going great until he asked about my job and we somehow ended up in a big fight about Victor. Eric thought that I was being naïve again and was worried that I was spending so much time alone with Victor. The fact that he was also a handsome heartthrob and huge movie star may not have helped. Eric asked if Victor had ever hit on me and I told him the truth—that he was a huge harmless flirt, but that I could handle him. Eric pouted for awhile, but then said he didn't want to fight and ruin our celebration. I asked what we were celebrating and he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to me. I opened it and recognized that it was from the USC student clinic. My smile grew wide when I realized that it was an official permission slip to devour my beautiful boyfriend without any worries.

I wordlessly led Eric by the hand back to my bedroom. He started to undress and I stopped him, wanting to do it myself. I slowly revealed each piece of him and pushed him back onto the bed. Then I stood and undressed slowly while he watched. He reached over to turn out the lamp on the nightstand and I grabbed his wrist and shook my head no. That got a smile out of him. I started at his feet, massaging and kissing, and worked my way up each leg, pushing them apart as I got closer to the good stuff. By the time I was kissing and nipping his inner thighs, he was moaning my name. I peeked up to see his head back and his eyes closed in ecstasy as I began stroking him and exploring with my hands and tongue. He was so hard and so beautiful. I had wanted to do this since that night I snuck into his room and saw his own hand on this work of art. I knelt between his legs and just before I put him into my mouth, I whispered, "Watch me baby." I saw his eyes open as I began and then I was lost in the amazing feelings of pleasing myself and pleasing him at the same time. I just did what came naturally and let Eric's response guide me. It was very empowering and such a turn on to elicit such appreciation from Eric. Afterwards I told him that I was obviously very inexperienced and that he would have to let me know what he wanted. He assured me that I had done everything just right, but I told him that I was looking forward to learning how to please him even more.

Then it was my turn to lie back and enjoy. Eric took his time with his very talented tongue, and by the time I'd had my second orgasm, he was hard again. He kissed his way up my body and I felt the velvety tip graze me, making me shiver. He asked, "Are you sure it's okay?" into my neck and I told him yes. I had been on the pill for over two months so I knew that I was covered birth control wise. As he entered me, we both gasped at the overwhelming sensation of nothing between us for the first time. That feeling also represented the commitment we'd made to each other to be true to each other and to be safe, so it was a very powerful moment. We moved slowly and kissed and whispered to each other how amazing it felt and how much we loved each other. As I came, I held onto him and cried a little. He kissed the tears away and I said, "I'm so happy," just before he had his own powerful orgasm.

Eric

Sookie was concerned because of the number of partners I'd had in the past and once again, I realized that there are always consequences to bad behavior. My stupid immature mistakes were now causing pain and concern for a woman that I sincerely loved and cherished and I was so pissed at myself. She should never have to worry about such things, and yet she did and I had no one to blame but myself.

Since I couldn't take any of my childish selfish mistakes back, I did promise to get checked at the clinic as soon as school started. Sookie told me she had already seen a doctor herself and was taking birth control pills. We had talked at length before about being cautious. As much as we loved each other, we were both still so young and not at a point in our lives where we were ready to become parents.

So the night we celebrated my clean bill of health was a very special night for us. The combination of the extreme physical pleasure of skin on skin plus the emotional bonding of sharing our commitment made for a memorable night. I couldn't get enough of her and she seemed happy to be able to express her lust in new ways. She had never gone down on me before (and she hinted that she may have never actually gone down on anyone else either, but I didn't ask). I had just assumed that it was her personal preference and that was fine, but apparently it was her preference to explore and enjoy that particular activity once we had gotten beyond the sticky subject of safe sex. She was amazing and I felt even luckier if that was possible.

The next morning we waited to hear Amelia leave the house before we made a mad dash into the bathroom and jumped into her shower together. I had always enjoyed what her talented hands did for me in there, but it felt so good to make love to her from behind while she was up against the tile wall sweetly moaning my name. We certainly were enjoying our newfound freedom.


	5. Chapter 5

Eric

Sookie and I were doing great in spite of our challenging schedules. Her boss had assigned her to be the babysitter to Victor Madden while he promoted his new film. I'll admit that I wasn't too happy about that. Victor Madden is one of those actors that almost all women swoon over. He's very good looking and always plays the romantic lead and in real life it didn't escape me that he is a wealthy single man with what is most likely a spectacular house in Malibu. I'm a poor college student who lives in a house where the neighborhood is so bad my girlfriend can't walk from her car to the house unescorted. I'd mentioned to a few of my female classmates that Sookie worked for Victor and they all drooled and said how lucky Sookie was. I wasn't feeling so lucky about it myself. Pam was the only one who seemed to share my concern. She said, "I'd pay close attention where he parks that famous penis if I were you." She always had a way with words.

I also kept reminding myself just how naïve Sookie was. That whole fight we'd had over her dinner and aborted kiss with her boss was still on my mind when she told me she would be spending her time, including some weekends, with the kind of man who presumably always got what he wanted in life. I didn't want to act like a jealous insecure jerk, but I sure felt like one inside.

My classes were challenging and I had already started pre-production on my first student film which I was pretty excited about. I had started the story idea when I was in Shreveport, but finished the script and had it mostly storyboarded. It was a short about a telepathic barmaid who gets involved with a sexy vampire. Maxwell Lee as well as a few other student friends had already agreed to help with the production (and in return, of course, I was helping them with their own films).

Between Sookie's extra hours with Victor and my long days at school and working on student productions, seeing as much of Sookie as I wanted became even more challenging. We preferred to stay at her house where it was quieter, but sometimes I had to work late on a shoot and so she would drive to my place. She always called from her car and I'd run out to find her and walk her to the house. She wasn't too thrilled about the constant social atmosphere of the house. She said it reminded her of Bill's house and how many nights she watched me take different girls upstairs. I kept assuring her that nothing even remotely like that would ever happen in this house and she had nothing to worry about as far as my fidelity. I wasn't worried about her own either, but I was worried that she could be inadvertently kissed or groped or some such thing by the smooth Victor Madden or even her boss. I still didn't trust him.

Sookie

I was learning a lot at work. Alcide and I still spent a lot of time with Victor, and I liked him a little better the more time I spent with him. He was really funny and kind of sweet, although I still had to remove his hands from various body parts of mine fairly often. And he had an annoying habit of calling me "babe" a lot. But once I let him know where the boundaries were, he would behave, at least for a little while. Except when he was drinking, and then he was a little harder to handle, but most of those times Alcide was with us so I wasn't terribly worried. I was getting pretty good at juggling all the details of his schedule and Alcide told me more than once that I was doing a good job and that felt good.

Eric was busy with his classes and he was also working a lot on the student films of his classmates. Those days were always long because they would only have the equipment rented for a short time and they had to get as much film shot as possible while they could. Eric's own film was coming along and he would be ready to start shooting soon. I loved to watch him talk about it. It was great to see him so enthusiastic and I was happy for him that he loved it so much.

Amelia's play was going really well. She loved it and I had seen it three times already (twice with Eric). She still worked at Merlotte's when she could and had auditions during the day, so I hardly ever saw her at home. I was lucky that she was so busy (and happy with what she was doing) because that meant that Eric and I could enjoy a little privacy at my apartment that we could never find at his house.

Eric

One night I met Sookie at her apartment when she got home from work. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks because of our demanding schedules. Fortunately, Amelia was working and Sookie and I had a chance to be alone. The first thing we did was make love of course, and then we took a long hot shower and made sure all of our good parts were really really clean. Afterwards we were in the kitchen talking while she was fixing us dinner. She loved to cook and I loved her cooking. Plus I loved leaning against the counter behind her watching her across the room working at the sink in her flimsy little silk robe. I had put my pants back on and was already regretting that decision. Watching her made them a little tight in the front.

She stopped what she was doing and turned off the water and leaned her hands on the counter, looking out the window. "There's something I need to tell you Eric." That sounded serious and so I braced myself for something painful. What would she need to say that she couldn't look me in the eye for? She kept her back to me. "I've been giving you such a hard time for the things you did when we were in school, but I did something then that was wrong as well." I held my breath. Did I want to hear this?

"You don't have to tell me anything, Sookie. What you did or didn't do before we were together doesn't matter now."

"Well, it does to me. It was wrong and I feel bad about it. I need to tell you."

"Okay."

"But I can't look at you."

"That's fine. I'm right here whenever you're ready."

"Okay." She took a deep breath and kept her back to me. "The night before that whole Bill-Lorena stuff happened, I went into your room while you were asleep."

"Into _my_ room?"

"Let me just say this, okay?"

"Okay." She didn't want to be interrupted. Fine.

"I had been up late studying and I couldn't sleep, so I snuck into your room and watched you sleeping. I know it was wrong on so many levels. I was with Bill, and you were naked. I realize that it was a huge violation of your privacy, but I just couldn't stay away from you. You looked so beautiful lying there and I wanted to touch you, but I didn't. Instead I masturbated while I stood by your bed."

As soon as she said that she had snuck into my room, I was as hard as a rock. By the time she got to the word masturbated, I had my erection out and had stepped up behind her, pulled her robe up and was slamming into her. Talk about wrong. I have always prided myself on giving plenty of foreplay and making certain that the girl comes first. I know how to be a good lover, but hearing Sookie describe what she had done released an animal side to me that I simply couldn't control. I had to have her that very second. She cried out from the surprise of it, but then responded with the same powerful lust that had a grip on me. Fortunately her little confession had apparently turned her on as well because she was already wet. I was relentless and out of my mind. I only lasted for a handful of powerful strokes and just cried "oh my god," into her neck as I came.

We stood there panting heavily. I was holding onto Sookie for dear life. She had a death grip on the edge of the kitchen counter. When I finally had control of my breathing again I said, "I'm so sorry. God, Sookie. Are you okay? I'm sorry baby. I just…god…I don't know what happened."

"Am I okay? Good lord, if I'd known I'd get that response, I would have told you about that a long time ago. That was amazing." I pulled out and she turned around and we started kissing passionately. I picker her up and carried her back into the bedroom. I laid her onto the bed and opened her robe. Her chest had those red splotches on it that she gets when she's excited and I always loved to see that. I felt a little better knowing that she was turned on and I hoped that I hadn't been too rough with her. She spread her legs and I happily buried my face between them. I paid special attention to make up for my caveman behavior. I made sure she came twice before I was done and then we lay together in complete bliss.

After that I would always ask her to tell me that story again when we were alone. It was like a drug to me and I would lose it and have to have her. I couldn't hear it often enough and never got tired of it. I remembered later that that was the same night I'd had that dream about her and felt like she had been in the room, and…well…I was right. We talked all the time about how our lives would have gone so differently had I awakened while she was in the room. We would have made love. I would have told her how I felt. She would have left Bill. I felt like we had been cheated out of time together, but then she always reminded me that what mattered was that we were together now and maybe we needed that time apart to appreciate each other even more.


	6. Chapter 6

Sookie

It came time for Eric to start shooting his own film for school and so I hardly saw him at all for awhile, which wasn't unexpected. I understood how important this was for him and so I told him I'd be here if he needed anything. I was so busy with Victor anyway, so it was fine. But I sure did miss him.

Eric

I was finally ready to start shooting my own film and was very nervous and excited. I had decided to cast a woman in Amelia's play as my female lead. I'd seen the play a couple of times with Sookie and it was really pretty good. Amelia was great in it, but unfortunately not really right for the part in my film. So I asked her castmate, Selah Pumphrey, to be in it. She said yes and we started rehearsing right away.

Then I got extremely lucky when it came time to cast the male lead. Pam had been talking me up to some of her friends at Paramount and she got an actor named Alexander Skarsgard to agree to play the lead. He was a huge star in Sweden and his father was a big name actor. He had recently moved to L.A. and was pursuing film work here, and the fact that he agreed to do my film was amazing. Actors know that student films never pay anything, but they can be used to build a reel for a new actor, get exposure if the film gets any recognition, or at the very least they can give an out-of-work actor something to play with while he or she is between jobs. Most actors live to act and many will do it even for free when they can.

I was so grateful to have Alexander and promised to schedule him for as quick a shoot as possible because I knew how busy he must me. He suggested my using his stand in and photo double for some of the scenes and the double was nice enough to offer his time as well in exchange for a credit. So we managed to get all of Alexander's scenes shot in one very long day and then for an additional two days we shot his photo double for all of Selah's close-ups. The double was of course the same height and body type as Alexander and we were able to shoot many angles using him including most of the love scenes. He and Selah seemed to get along fine and even felt comfortable enough to offer to shoot some nudity, which was great for me. I was careful with the camera angles of course and kept it tasteful, but was really pleased with the outcome.

While I was editing in the next couple of weeks, I realized that I needed a few more shots, of course. That always happens, but by then Alexander was on a shoot along with his double who was standing in for him and so both were unavailable. But since I was the same height and coloring, I decided that I could just use myself and let Maxwell Lee to the camera work. The shots were all just hand inserts and a couple of close ups of feet running, so it didn't take too long and we got what I needed pretty painlessly. Unfortunately, I had to cancel a date with Sookie to do it though as it was the only day Maxwell Lee was available.

Sookie

I knew Eric would be busy with his shoot, but boy he wasn't kidding. Those guys worked 16 and 18-hour days. He was almost finished and so we made plans to spend a Sunday together when Victor didn't need me. I was so looking forward to just relaxing and spending the day with Eric, but then he had to cancel at the last minute to shoot some more. I thought he was all done and just editing, but then he said he needed a few more shots. His actor wasn't available and so he said he was going to photo double for him himself since they were the same size and coloring. I was disappointed, of course, but understood that this film would not only determine his grade in class, but that it would serve as a showpiece that could lead to future work and it was a huge deal for a film student and future director.

About a week later Amelia came home from her play one night and knocked on my door. I wasn't asleep yet and asked her in. She sat on the foot of my bed and I could tell she had some bad news to tell me. "Let me start out by saying that I hate Selah Pumphrey, but unfortunately I don't think she's a liar."

"Okay."

"Tonight I overheard her say that she slept with the guy who was Alexander Skarsgard's photo double in the student film she just did." I felt all the blood drain from my face.

"Eric photo doubled Alexander just last week."

"I know. Apparently, she said they hit it off when they were doing some horny love scene together and then later they got together at her apartment and had sex in spite of the fact that he has a girlfriend. I guess that sort of thing happens all the time. Ew."

"So you believed her?"

"Yeah. She didn't know I was listening and had no reason to make it up. God, I'm so sorry Sookie."

"Thank you for telling me. I'm sure that wasn't easy."

I waited until she was gone before I had my meltdown. I cried myself to sleep.

The next day I kept thinking back to how Eric was in school. To say he was a big slut would be accurate, but I'd been certain that all that was in his past. He seemed so sincere about being in a committed relationship with me, but then wasn't it he himself who was always saying how naïve I am? Could he really be sleeping with Selah and I wouldn't know it? I guess it's possible. I decided that I was going to confront him about it and so I did.

When he called that night, I just asked him point blank, "Is something going on between you and Selah Pumphrey?"

"What? No, of course not. Why would you even ask something like that?"

"You're not seeing her?"

"_Seeing_ her? Um…I'm with you, remember? What the fuck are you talking about, Sookie?"

"There's nothing you want to tell me?"

"No."

"Okay." And then I didn't bring it up again for awhile. But over the course of the next few weeks, I asked him about it again, and he continued to deny that anything had happened.

Then one night I went to see the play again by myself and afterwards some of the cast members went to Merlotte's for a drink. I decided to play detective and cornered Selah's roommate and quizzed her about the photo double mystery. Sure enough, she had seen the guy at Selah's and confirmed that Selah was sleeping with him but she wasn't supposed to talk about it because he had a girlfriend. I asked her what he looked like and she described Eric perfectly. I pretended to be enjoying the gossip and then made an excuse to leave and walked home in tears.

I decided to sleep on it before making my decision, and then I called Eric the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

Eric

Things between Sookie and me hadn't been going very well for awhile by the time we had our big fight. I was increasingly uncomfortable with her relationship with Victor Madden in spite of her reassurances that she could handle him. She seemed to be jealous of my working with Selah on my film which made no sense to me. She even asked if I was seeing her. I had absolutely no interest in Selah Pumphrey or any other woman for that matter, but Sookie had started to act so insecure about it. We also had both been so busy and had had so little time to be together which didn't help.

The fight started with a phone call from Sookie. I was waiting for my class to start and really didn't have time to talk, but she was crying so I asked what was wrong. She said that she found out that I had lied to her.

"What are you talking about? Calm down. Lied about what?"

"You said that when you were working on your film that nothing happened between you and Selah."

"And it didn't."

"And you're standing by that statement?"

"What are we in a court of law now? Yes, I am standing by that statement. Nothing happened. Why are you doing this?" She started to sob. "Sookie, what is going on?"

"I can't see you any more, Eric."

"What? What are you talking about? What happened? Shit, Sookie. Calm down. Please stop crying honey and tell me what's going on."

"I just can't do this any more, Eric. I'm sorry. I don't want to wind up like I did with Bill. I'm ending this now."

"Shit! Ending it? What are you doing? Wait. Fuck, my class is starting. Let me call you when it's over and we'll figure this out. Please, Sookie."

"No, I have to work tonight. Don't call me back. Just leave me alone, Eric. I don't want to see you any more." And then she hung up.

That was the longest class I've ever had to sit through. (There were no excused absences in the program, otherwise I would have ditched it and gone to Sookie.) As soon as it was over, I called her back but just got her voice mail. I left several messages over the next few hours saying that I wanted to talk to her and pleaded with her not to do this. I just couldn't imagine what was going on.

Pam called after that and I told her what had happened, but that I wasn't able to speak to Sookie again and that she was working later so I couldn't go see her.

"Actually, you may be able to."

"What do you mean?"

"I think I know where she'll be tonight. There's an industry screening of Victor Madden's film tonight at Paramount with a q & a afterwards. Yours truly was invited and I can bring a guest."

"What time should I be there?"

Pam met me on the Paramount lot, but we skipped the screening, knowing that Victor wouldn't need to be there until afterwards. We got something to eat at the commissary and then made our way back over to the theater when we thought the movie should be over. I looked around for Sookie, but she wasn't outside the theater. I stepped into the lobby and there was a small crowd of people standing there talking. Victor Madden was waiting by the door to be introduced before he went into the theater for his q & a. Sookie was standing in front of him having a conversation. Pam and I stopped and waited. I figured that maybe I could talk to Sookie once Victor was on stage. Then she might have a few minutes here in the lobby while he answered questions from the audience.

My mouth fell open as I watched Victor's hand reach around and squeeze Sookie's ass. I certainly was not expecting that. My first instinct was to go knock his perfectly capped teeth out of his head, but then I watched as Sookie leaned in and whispered something into his ear. He laughed and she smiled up at him and I just saw red and wanted to smash something. Just then we all heard Victor being introduced and Sookie opened the door for him to enter the theater. I turned and left the building, Pam right behind me. When I got to my car, she said, "Don't go jumping to conclusions, Eric. Give her a chance to explain."

"You know what, now this is starting to make sense. She was just making up some crap about me and Selah as an excuse to end it. What is it they say, the guilty see the guilt in others? I knew something was going on. I never trusted that guy and I thought Sookie was too naïve to see that he was after her, but apparently she did see it and she liked it. Fuck. I feel like an imbecile now."

"Eric, just wait. We don't know what that was about."

"I do. She's with Victor fucking Madden, and I'm an idiot. That's what that was about."

Sookie

I couldn't believe I had to go to work after breaking up with Eric. I was so upset and still couldn't believe that he had cheated on me and then so easily lied to me. I drove to Victor's and we waited for the limousine. I let Eric's calls go to voice mail. I couldn't deal with him now. I had to keep it together for work. For the long drive to Paramount, Victor was drinking fairly heavily in the back of the limo. Unfortunately, Alcide was out of town and couldn't be there to act as a buffer and I really didn't have the patience to deal with a drunk Victor on this particular night.

We got to the theater and were waiting for Victor's introduction. I had already asked him several times in the limo to keep his hands off of me. Right before he was supposed to go into the theater he grabbed my ass and gave it a serious squeeze in front of a fairly large group of people. I didn't want to make a scene of course so I reached up and whispered into Victor's ear, "If I have to tell you one more time to get your fucking hands off of me I'm going to tear your balls off and ram them down your throat. Got it, Victor?" I had never spoken to another human being like that before, and it sure did feel good. I could see that Victor needed to save face so he just laughed as if I had said something funny. I smiled sweetly at him but made sure he got my message loud and clear. Then he went into the theater and I turned around to face the little crowd behind me, face red with embarrassment.

That seemed to be the longest night of my life. Little did I know that it would soon go from bad to worse. By the time I got Victor home and drove myself back home, it was late. I checked my messages when I got home. The first few were Eric asking what had happened and saying that we needed to talk. He sounded genuinely confused and I started to think that maybe I should give him a chance to say what he needed to say. But then the last one was a very cold and angry Eric. "Hi, it's me again. I don't really know how to do this, but…um…yeah, if you really want to break up, then, okay, we're broken up. I'm sorry that that's what you want, but I get it. I'm home tonight if you want to talk. I hope you call me, but I'll understand if you don't. I'll leave the ball in your court, okay? Bye."

I started crying again. I listened to it again. "I'm sorry that that's what you want, but I get it." That's what he said. He obviously realized that I had found out that he was cheating and lying about it and he gets it that I can't be with him any more. I crawled up onto my bed and had a good solid cry. Then I listened to the messages one more time. In the first ones he sounded so desperate to talk to me, but then that last one was so cold. I finally decided that I would talk to him and give him a chance to explain himself, but not over the phone. I jumped up and grabbed my purse and drove over to Eric's house.


	8. Chapter 8

Sookie

It was late and I knew that Eric always said to call him after I'd parked and let him come and get me when I drove to his place, but I could see his house down the street and there was no one around. Plus if he answered his phone with that cold voice from his last message I just might lose my nerve and go home.

I got out of the car and started towards the house. I could see lights on in his room so I knew he was home. Suddenly I felt a ripping pain in my head as I realized that someone had grabbed my ponytail. I cried out as the pain seemed to explode and then everything went black.

Eric

I waited up a long time hoping to hear from Sookie. She never called. Just as I was about to go to sleep, there was a knock on the front door. I ran down, briefly hoping that it was Sookie but then remembered that she knew better than to come over without calling me first. Fucking shitty neighborhood. It was the police and sure enough, there had been a mugging on our block. They asked if I had heard or seen anything, but I hadn't. Then I remembered that I had heard a woman kind of yell earlier and hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but maybe it was relevant. They took my information down and left. I felt even shittier about having no money. I could see why Sookie would be tempted to be with someone like Victor Madden. He was probably so fucking rich. And lived in Malibu. Fuck.

The following day I left a few messages for Sookie, just asking for her to call me, but she never did. Then I left one just asking her point blank if she was seeing Victor Madden. I took her decision to ignore me as a yes. Then I played my last card. I figured that I had nothing to lose at that point. I had apparently already lost her. I swallowed my pride and decided to just be honest. My last message said, "It's me again. Look, I get it. He's a rich handsome movie star. I'm poor. Hopefully, that won't always be the case, but whatever. The bottom line is that I love you, Sookie. I don't want to be without you. Whatever has happened with him, I don't even care. I just want you back. I hope you still love me and will give me another chance. But if you love him, then that's it. I guess all I can do is wish you well. But if there's even a chance that you'll take me back, please call me, okay?" There. Yes, I was a schmuck, but hey, I had been one when it came to Sookie Stackhouse for a long long time. I loved her.

Sookie

I woke up in a hospital with a terrible headache. All I could remember was my ponytail being pulled. I pressed the nurse call button and a woman came in with a warm smile, "Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" I asked what had happened and she said that I should speak to the police. Once she'd made sure that I had everything I needed from her, she left and brought in a woman officer. Apparently, I had been mugged outside of Eric's house. A neighbor had heard me cry out and called the police, but by the time someone got to me, I was unconscious. An ambulance brought me to the hospital and treated me as a Jane Doe since my purse had apparently been stolen. I'd been hit on the head with something—the officer thought maybe the butt of a gun. That made me shiver. I told the officer where my car was parked, and she reported it into her walkie talkie thing, but within a few minutes she got a call back that it was gone.

She asked if there was anyone she could call for me. I almost said Eric and then I caught myself and started crying. I guess we were broken up. We tried Amelia but just got her voice mail, so then we called Alcide.

By the end of the day, I was back at home (after retrieving Amelia's key from her at work and making a copy). Alcide stayed with me for a little while to make sure I was okay and told me to take as much time off as I needed, that he would handle Victor himself until I was better. While he was there, the locksmith came and changed the locks, just to be safe.

I had a concussion from the knock on the head, but otherwise I was fine. Trying to get my life back together was a mess. I read somewhere that you should photocopy everything in your wallet, front and back, in case it's ever stolen, but had I actually done that? Nope. So, I went through my mental list of things that needed to be replaced. Driver's license, credit cards, insurance cards, ATM card, there were so many little details to take care of. For days I would think I had thought of everything and then in the middle of the night I would sit up and call out, "Library card!" Eventually, I think I had finally replaced everything. I ended up getting a new phone and even a new number because the thief or thieves had used the number and run up my minutes and the carrier suggested a new number just to be safe. My credit cards had all been charged up to the limits, but fortunately I was only responsible for the first $50 on each one. Replacing my car was not quite as easy. My insurance would reimburse me for the value of the car, but it would take awhile. I needed a car right away and couldn't afford to rent one for the weeks or maybe even longer that it would take to get the check from my insurance company. I had a couple of thousand dollars in savings and one of the actors in Amelia's play was selling his car for that amount, so I bought it just so I'd have something until I could figure out what I wanted to do about the insurance money.

Within a few days I was back at work and back to dealing with Victor. He was still the same pig as always in spite of my last threat, but I was handling him okay. I missed Eric terribly and cried every time I thought about him, which was a lot. I had asked my cell phone carrier if there was any way I could check my messages but was told that there apparently weren't any messages. I guess he hadn't called. I missed him so much and was seriously considering calling him when a few days later Amelia sat me down and gently gave me the bad news that Selah was dating the dreamy photo double. Apparently, he had broken up with his girlfriend and he'd started dating Selah. That was all the confirmation I needed and I promised myself that I would move on and not call Eric ever again.


	9. Chapter 9

Sookie

The following week I was busy with Victor and tried not to think about Eric, which was impossible. I just tried to stay busy and focused. Victor was his usual self, but I was more comfortable with telling him off a little more harshly since that night he'd grabbed my butt at that screening. It didn't even seem to faze him when I threatened him. The man had the biggest ego I have ever seen. Maybe he was just used to getting away with stuff like that for so long, I don't know. But movie star or no movie star, I didn't have to take it.

One night after a radio interview, the limo drove us back to Victor's and I needed to go over his schedule for the next couple of days with him so I followed him into his house. He offered me a drink and I passed. Then he asked if I wanted any cocaine. I just said no thank you. Good lord. He excused himself for a minute (to use the bathroom? Do some cocaine? Who knows.) I stood on his beautiful balcony and looked out at the ocean while I waited. I was lost in thought, thinking about Eric of course when suddenly I felt the unmistakable sensation of a hard-on pressed into my behind. I turned around ready to spit nails and there stood the famous Victor Madden fully nude with a raging boner pointed right at me and a huge winning smile on his face.

"Good lord, Victor! How many ways can I say no? NO! Don't you get it? No means no. Now put that thing away." He reached for my hand but I just snatched it back. "That's it! I don't care what you have to do tomorrow or the next day. I don't give a shit about your stupid schedule. I am done!"

He made a little frown and looked like a little boy who had just had his toy taken away. I was so exasperated and just stormed out the door and down to my car. My two thousand dollar piece of shit car that now wouldn't start. What next? Bring it on!

I took a deep breath and pulled out my cell phone and went to get my triple A card when I suddenly realized that that was one of the mystery cards that I hadn't remembered to replace after I'd been mugged. There was no way I was going back up to Victor's house to ask for help. I looked at my watch. Amelia should be about half way through the second act of her play. Alcide was out of town. Of course my phone list was long gone with my old phone so I sat there and tried to think of whose number I had memorized. No, I was not going to call Eric. Absolutely not. Pam. Okay, I could call Pam.

Eric

A week after Sookie and I had broken up I was still a mess. Maxwell Lee just said, "Welcome to Hollywood, man. There's no competing with movie stars." He was right apparently. I just kept thinking how very young and naïve Sookie was. She's from a small town in Louisiana, fresh out of college with very little experience with men. And Victor was a powerful and charismatic movie star that I would imagine was used to getting any woman he wanted, and naturally he would want Sookie. She was beautiful and sweet and must be so refreshing after being around so many jaded Hollywood types. I couldn't really blame her for falling for him as much as it killed me to think about it. How could I compete with him? Looks, money, fame. Maybe I never really had a chance.

I had promised Pam a dinner for her help in casting Alexander Skarsgard. We both knew I didn't really owe her anything, but it was a good excuse to get together anyway. Her car was in the shop so I drove to Venice and took her out to eat. After dinner we were in her apartment talking, mostly about Sookie, when her phone rang. She said she didn't recognize the number as she answered. She stepped into the kitchen for privacy I assumed and then she came back into the living room. I watched her writing down an address and heard her say, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Then she turned to me with a wicked smile. I knew that look and it usually meant trouble. "Oh, Eric."

"Yes."

"I have a girlfriend in trouble with a broken down car. But…oops…my car's in the shop. Oh no. Can you please help her out and go get her and take her home?"

"Sure, Pam. It's not a problem." I wondered why she was acting so weird, but then sometimes Pam is just weird I guess.

"Thanks, Eric. You make a great hero." She gave me the address and a description of the car and kissed me on the cheek as she sent me out on my mission.

I drove the PCH up to Malibu and couldn't help but think of Victor and wondered which one of these mansions was his. I found the address and turned around and parked. I walked towards the car and I could see the girl sitting in it waiting and as I got closer I realized that it was a wide-eyed Sookie. We both stared open-mouthed for a minute until she got out of the car. "Eric. What are you doing here?"

"Pam sent me. Whose car is this?" It was a piece of shit.

"Mine."

"Since when?"

"It's a long story."

"Do you want me to look under the hood? Call triple A?"

"Actually, I just want to go home. Would you mind terribly taking me home?"

"Of course not."

The ride home was silent, and it was a long ride. She started to get out of the car when I parked in front of her building and I touched her arm. She looked back at me. "Sookie, may I please come in? I'd like to talk to you."

She took a deep breath and said, "Sure, come on in." I was relieved.

Amelia wasn't home so we sat on the sofa and she offered me something to drink. As she sat down with our glasses of water, I asked, "How have you been?" She just started to cry. I reached for her, but she pushed me away and collected herself.

"I've had a tough week." She laughed as she wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Me too."

"I think I may have to quit my job."

"Because of Victor?"

"Yes, because of Victor."

"Do you love him?" She burst out laughing. I was confused.

"_Love_ him? The man needs to be muzzled. Tranquilized. Neutered. I thought I could handle him and I was handling him I thought, fairly well, until tonight. He made an appearance in his living room in his birthday suit and let's just say he was very happy to see me. Good lord. Do I _love_ him?" She was laughing again. "Eric, he's a complete pig! The man refuses to keep his hands to himself. I had tried to just make light of it and brush him off until last week at a screening. I finally let him have it. He grabbed my ass in front of a lobby full of people. I told him discreetly that I was going to ram his own balls down his throat and you know what he did? He just laughed at me. And then the next day he was at it again. But tonight was just the final straw. I'm sorry, but I just don't think I can do it any more. Do I _love _him. Oh my god, that's funny."

"So you're not with him?" Her expression answered my question. "Then why didn't you call me? After I left you those messages?"

"What messages?"

"The ones I left you the night after you broke up with me, asking if you were in love with him." She just looked blank with her mouth open, and then she closed it.

"Oh, you must have called when I was in the hospital." Now it was my turn to look blank. "After I was mugged in front of your house."

"Mugged? In front of my house?"

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to you about the fact that you had lied to me about sleeping with Selah Pumphrey. But you know what, before you even start, don't bother. Because now I know you're together and I don't even want to hear about it any more, okay?"

"Selah Pumphrey? Are we back to that? Jesus, Sookie, I was never with Selah Pumphrey!"

"Oh? So nothing happened after you did that horny love scene with her when you were photo doubling Alexander Skarsgard? Please!"

"Sookie, I wasn't the photo double in the horny love scene. I just did some hand and foot insert shots."

"Oh really, then why did her roommate describe you perfectly…" I saw the light bulb go on over her head before she even finished her sentence. Then in a tiny voice she said, "It wasn't you?"

"No! Of course it wasn't me!"

"You're not sleeping with Selah Pumphrey?"

"No. Are you sleeping with Victor Madden?"

"No."

"Then why the fuck are we broken up?"

"Um…" We sat for a long moment just staring at each other and then at the same instant we just launched at each other and were kissing madly.


	10. Chapter 10

Sookie

I couldn't believe the giant mix up that Eric and I'd had. Apparently he had some crazy idea that I was seeing Victor—actually that I was in love with Victor. Good lord. And then I felt like a complete idiot when I found out that Alexander Skarsgard had another photo double other than Eric and that apparently he and Selah Pumphrey were a hot item now. What a mess. The good news is that as soon as we both realized what had happened and that we had broken up under false pretenses, we leapt into each other's arms on my sofa and started kissing like there was no tomorrow. We had only really been broken up for a week, but it might as well have been a year the way we were going at it. I was sucking on his tongue while he was fumbling with the top button of my pants. I stood up and pulled my pants and panties off, kicking my shoes off to different corners of the room. I watched as Eric unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, revealing just how happy he was to have me back. I just hopped onto his lap, straddling him and sat right down on my favorite toy. Eric pushed his hips up to meet mine and we started a strong fast rhythm while I went back to sucking on his tongue. It was loud and messy and intense. Eric started to pull my shirt up so he could get access to my breasts when we heard someone walking up to the front door. I froze, but luckily Eric was thinking fast and before I even realized what he was doing, he stood with me still attached to him and started running towards the bedroom. Just as we got into my room, Eric closed the door behind us and slammed me up against it. We were both panting and stifling a giggle as we heard Amelia coming through the front door. I whispered into Eric's ear, "My pants and panties are still in there!" as he laughed quietly into my hair. I listened to Amelia go into her room and close the door and Eric and I looked each other in the eye, still very amused at almost being caught. As our laughing and breathing slowed, Eric's mouth found mine in a sweet soft kiss and he began to move inside me while he still had me up against the door. I tightened my legs around him and matched his movement as the passion began to build again. I resisted the urge to moan and Eric broke the kiss to bury his face into my neck. We came together silently, hanging on to each other for dear life. I felt him bite my neck as I was rocked by the sweet and familiar sensations of our contractions inside of me. As we were both coming down from the high, Eric left a little trail of kisses up my neck and towards my ear and whispered, "Sookie?"

"Yes, baby."

"Do you think that I could have your new phone number?" And then the quiet giggling started up again.

The night we screened Eric's film it was a star studded event. Most student films only get screened at the school, but Eric was lucky and well-connected, especially considering that he was a newcomer to Hollywood. It was held at one of the theaters on the Paramount lot. Alcide and I put together the press list and most of our client list showed up, including the hugely talented Victor Madden. Alexander Skarsgard came and his photo double was on the arm of Selah Pumphrey. Eric was hailed by the press as a young talent ready to launch his directorial career. What they didn't know was that Victor Madden had already committed to be in Eric's first feature-length film in exchange for not being sued for sexual harassment. I was learning a lot about how things get done in Hollywood in spite of my young age. Of course, Eric wanted to kick Victor's butt for his treatment of me, but I made him promise to restrain his inner caveman and let me handle Victor in my own way. Eric may have objected outwardly, but I think inwardly he was pretty pleased with my result.

Pam had shown Eric's film to Felipe DeCastro before and he was impressed. He was also impressed that Victor Madden was interested in working with Eric, especially since Eric was still just a film student. Felipe recognized a great opportunity and offered to sponsor the screening. I watched first surprise and then admiration in his eyes the day I handed him the list of press passes I'd need for that night. I knew that having him notice Eric's work was a huge deal and I wanted to take the opportunity to give him a good bang for his buck, exposure-wise. I wanted him to realize that his joining Team Eric was an excellent move.

We made our entrance in the limo and walked the red carpet. The media ate Eric up. He was young and handsome and they all wanted to be the first to declare him the next big Hollywood hit. I nodded a thank you to Alcide standing on the side of the red carpet beaming like a proud parent. I overheard Felipe DeCastro telling a journalist that he was looking forward to working with Eric and I smiled inwardly as I posed on the arm of Hollywood's new golden boy.

After the screening, there was a brief q & a with Eric and Alexander and Selah. Then we all mingled for awhile before it ended. Eric and I were finally alone back in the limo at the end of the night. He was so happy and said that it was the most perfect night and thanked me for all of my help. "You've outdone yourself, Sookie. I'm so proud of you."

"No, sweetie, tonight's your night. You're the one we're all so proud of."

"I just can't believe how great that all went. I really think people liked it. I just can't imagine how this night could get any better."

"Really? Have I ever told you the story of a night when I was in college when I snuck into a man's bedroom while he slept?" God, I loved to see that look on his face…

XXX

A/N: Stay tuned for the next installment of my human Eric/Sookie love story, More Love In L.A.


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